Trauma
Psychological trauma is damage to a person's mind as a result of one or more events that cause overwhelming amounts of stress that exceed the person's ability to cope or integrate the emotions involved, eventually leading to serious, long-term negative consequences.
Traumatic events exceed a person’s ability to cope because they are unpredictable and sudden. They often involve or could potentially involve serious injuries or threats to life. Traumatic events are considered traumatic as they undermine a person’s sense of safety.
-
Types of Traumatic Events
- Interpersonal violence
- Accidents
- Natural disasters
- Military combat
- Unexpected losses
-
Types of Trauma
- Acute – single events that do not repeat
- Sexual assault, car accident, sudden loss
- Chronic – repeated and prolonged events
- Domestic violence, bullying, childhood neglect, etc.
- Complex – repeated and prolonged events without possibility of escape
- Secondary – exposure to a traumatic event from a support person
- Parents, friends, dating partners, first responders, physicians
- Acute – single events that do not repeat
-
Effects of Trauma
People respond to trauma differently. There is no right or wrong way to cope.
Immediate effects can include:
- Shock
- Nightmares
- Flashbacks
- Difficulty eating
- Difficulty concentrating
- Heightened startle response
- Isolating from loved ones
- Headaches
- Nausea
Long-term effects can include:
- Disassociation – out-of-body experiences
- Intrusive thoughts
- Emotional numbing
- Hypervigilance
- Negative beliefs about self and/or the world
- Difficulty remembering the event
- Self-blame
- Intrusive memories
